Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi is said to have spent his side's clash with Brighton on Saturday insulting his opponents - specifically commenting on their salaries and calling the Seagulls players 's***''.
It was an afternoon to forget for the north Londoners as they fell to a 2-1 defeat in dramatic fashion. Nicolas Pepe gave Arsenal the lead before Lewis Dunk equalised, with Neal Maupay scoring the winner in the final seconds of the game.
Match-winner Maupay was involved in a clash with Bernd Leno in the first half, which resulted in the Arsenal shot-stopper suffering a horrific injury. Following the final whistle, Guendouzi was caught on camera grabbing Maupay by the throat, but the Frenchman has avoided an FA ban as VAR reviewed the incident at the time.
The 21-year-old niggled with Brighton players throughout Saturday's contest, and the Daily Mail have now shed some light on some of the comments the Arsenal man made. It is said the midfielder spent the game taunting the Brighton players about the financial disparity between the two squads. He also blamed Maupay for Leno's injury, while also insulting the Seagulls as a whole.
A source told the Mail: "He was saying the Brighton players were s*** and that he and his teammates earn so much more than they ever will. He's done it in other games as well. Arsenal are a decent club and hate that sort of behaviour."
Perhaps what is most alarming about this is it is said Guendouzi has acted like this in other games.
Despite Guendouzi's comments that the Brighton players are 's***', Saturday's win saw Graham Potter's men complete a league double over the Gunners. In the reverse fixture, it was Maupay once again who scored a fairly late winner.
After the match, Maupay claimed that the Arsenal players 'got what they deserved', and the Mail state that his comments were primarily aimed at Guendouzi. However, the striker was also keen to apologise for his involvement in the injury suffered by Leno.
Source : 90min